‘Oh no…!’

I snapped to my senses when I saw the assassin’s blood staining red on the cloud-like white blanket.

I’m screwed.

The so-called Nobile Trapunta that head maid Rosalinne had urgently ordered from a master tailor from the Imperial tailoring shop for my wedding.

That very thing made of fluffy goose down, said to be expensive to even name and difficult to obtain, handled with care even in the Imperial palace.

I ruined that expensive blanket in a moment of misjudgment.

How will I face the head maid…?

I made such a stupid mistake, distracted by the shock of seeing Flama’s struggle in the cave earlier and the Grand Duke’s silence.

Above all, the problem is.

That bastard assassin sprawled on the floor next to my bed with his own knife stuck in his chest.

After telling the Grand Duke with my own mouth that I’m at greater risk of assassination than Shavell, to deal with it so carelessly like this.

Right now, there will be a guard posted by the Grand Duke standing in front of my room with keen eyes. Not just any guard, but the captain of the Angelus Knights, Leo Dominici, is on night duty tonight!

Ah. What should I do?

“Airy…! Airy…!”

I called out desperately for my partner in perfect crime, but Airy didn’t answer. Usually she appears uninvited and won’t leave me alone.

“Ah. That’s right.”

I had upset Airy. After I said it was a secret I had to discuss alone with the Grand Duke, she got angry and flew away, not answering no matter how much I called.

She’s so competitive with Flama that I didn’t bring her to the cave in case she’d be upset seeing me distressed. How can I appease her? That one, she really holds grudges.

Should I ask the Tower Master for help?

In my urgency I ran to the door, but I turned back without even grabbing the doorknob.

I thought it wasn’t a favor I could ask of someone who had kindly saved my life twice. Besides, I had just said I couldn’t share important secrets because he was a ‘stranger’. I wonder if he was hurt by that?

It was my problem, the North’s problem, that’s why I said that. I also didn’t want to involve someone I’m grateful to in dangerous affairs anymore. Should I explain?

‘No. No. This isn’t the time to be thinking about that. What are you going to do about that assassin!’

I paced around the room with my arms crossed, a habit that comes out when I get anxious.

Even in the midst of the chaos, I didn’t forget to open the window to let out the smell of blood.

It’s probably just pissing against the wind since the source of the smell is sprawled next to my bed, but still.

‘Yuriella. Stay calm. Focus. They say you can survive even if bitten by an ice dragon if you just stay alert.’

I shook my head vigorously, put my hands together, and took deep breaths.

“Whoo~. Haa~. Whoo~. Haa~.”

This breathing technique was taught to me long ago by Salamandra, Flama’s small incarnation, the cute fire lizard, and it’s quite effective.

When I would get anxious and not know what to do, Salamandra would put her chubby front paws together and demonstrate for me while encouraging me. If I did well, she would even clap with her cute front paws and praise me. She was so pretty.

Salamandra, the small spirit of the holy sword Flama, was smaller than even a single feather of the original spirit, the crimson firebird.

I heard that other holy swords also have incarnations like Salamandra, but the only ones I’ve seen directly are Salamandra and Airy.

The original spirits of holy swords are generally not summoned except at crucial moments, like in battle or when facing a powerful enemy.

Their overwhelming size and power can sometimes cause unintended damage to the surroundings. So usually they carry around small spirits, their incarnations.

Unlike the solemn and quiet original, Salamandra would pour out chatter like a waterfall even when briefly summoned, and would often cry loudly if she didn’t get her way when begging to go play, so I didn’t summon her often.

I was very puzzled how their personalities could be so different while sharing one soul with the original.

Watching the old Imperial investigator made me understand a bit. He’s usually a dignified person, but when he drinks, he rolls around on the interrogation room floor calling for his deceased mother. Crying and throwing tantrums like a child.

They say everyone has a wounded little child living in their heart. Maybe holy swords are no exception?

Thinking about it makes me miss our Salamandra…

‘No. No. How can you scatter your thoughts more by thinking about Salamandra! Focus! Focus!’

I shook my head hard again.

And I put my hands together, gathered my thoughts, and concentrated all my nerves on how to overcome this predicament.

But before my heart could beat even twenty more times, the sound of the Grand Duke’s footsteps was heard in the hallway. Not just footsteps, but the sound of running fiercely.

My body stiffened. What should I do? What should I do?

The Grand Duke’s footsteps stopped abruptly in front of my room door.

And an urgent knock.

Did he sense the assassin’s presence? Well, as the owner of a holy sword, it’s not impossible if he concentrates highly. Was he constantly focused on my room’s presence? Why now of all times!

I really hate the capable Grand Duke.

“Yuriella!”

I could tell. The Grand Duke will fling that door open without waiting for my answer!

Salamandra’s deep breathing technique failed, but I instinctively knew what I had to do.

The moment the Grand Duke opened the door, I held my breath and fell backwards.

Through my slightly open eyes, I saw the Grand Duke rushing towards me.

“Yuriella!”

Does our Grand Duke have wings?

I fell backwards expecting at least one big bump on the back of my head. There was a thud as the Grand Duke’s arms embraced me and we rolled.

It was the sound of the Grand Duke’s head hitting the table leg hard as he fell while wrapping his whole body around me.

That. It’s marble so it must really hurt…

I racked my brain hard in the Grand Duke’s arms as he moved me to his chambers. How should I explain this situation plausibly? I needed time to think.

‘Should I stay unconscious for about an hour?’

But I had to wake up from my feigned unconsciousness sooner than I had planned.

The Grand Duke’s head wasn’t just bruised, but his scalp was quite deeply cut and bleeding a lot, needing immediate disinfection and stitches.

Even though Alexis and Rosalinne took turns begging, the Grand Duke stubbornly refused to receive treatment!

The Grand Duke insisted that he could not leave his bed before I woke up, and that he absolutely could not allow others into the room or receive treatment because I might wake up.

It seemed he was experiencing great mental aftereffects from my soul flying out on the wedding night.

“Mmm…”

I had to wake up to make him get treatment.

“Yuriella!”

“Ah… It seems I fainted? But where is this…?”

“Your room was too dangerous, so I moved you here. Use this room from now on.”

“Pardon?”

“Just as a thief will keep entering a house once broken into, once an assassin has entered your chambers, safety can no longer be guaranteed. So we decided to close the Grand Duchess’s chambers and stay together in my chambers.”

I’m not sure what thieves have to do with assassins, but head butler Alexis clapped his hands and rejoiced, saying it was such a wise and excellent decision. Head maid Rosalinne also smiled broadly while tearing up.

“How do you feel? Are you alright?”

“Yes…”

I felt very regretful about losing my room, but I nodded.

“What happened? Do you remember?”

Of course I remember clearly.

The assassin asked what my last words would be. He thrust his killing sword at me without even listening to my last words.

He should have been the one to say last words, but I wasn’t curious about an assassin’s last words either, so I quickly snatched the sword and returned it to its owner’s chest.

But I can’t tell the Grand Duke the truth.

It doesn’t make sense for a noble lady from a dancing background who has never learned swordsmanship to kill a skilled assassin twice her size in one strike.

To explain that plausibly, I would have to say who I am.

I absolutely cannot reveal who I am with my own mouth. The only option left is…

I pretended to tremble in fear and leaned my head against the Grand Duke’s chest. It’s underhanded, but the best tactic.

“I was so scared, Frost.”

Alexis and Rosalinne left the chambers quietly with satisfied expressions.

“Yuriella… I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry, Frost?”

“I should have protected you… I was keeping an eye on you, but in the brief moment I was distracted seeing off the vassals…”

“No, you still noticed and came, didn’t you?”

It would have been better if you hadn’t come, though.

“I’m fine now. I’m not scared anymore because you’re by my side, Frost.”

Though I said I wasn’t scared, I made my voice tremble slightly. Having seen many noble ladies in the Imperial palace who were terrified of even small insects, it wasn’t difficult to act.

Frost gently stroked my back, soothing me as if petting a small cat.

“Frost. But did you hurt your head?”

When I reached out to his blood-soaked silver hair and gently parted around the wound, the Grand Duke’s body stiffened.

“It’s nothing.”

“How would you feel if I was bleeding from a head wound but said it was nothing?”

“That, I don’t even want to imagine.”

“Me neither. Come here. I’ll treat you.”

The Grand Duke obediently bowed his head to me. Fortunately, the wound wasn’t very deep, so silver needles weren’t necessary.

I called healing energy to my hand and gently rubbed the Grand Duke’s torn wound and the area around it. I was a bit surprised at how soft the Grand Duke’s sparkling silver hair felt in my hand.

The long gash slowly healed. The Grand Duke’s neck to his ears gradually turned red. For some reason, my fingertips also tingled. The tip of my nose felt sweet.

‘Hm? Perfume smell?’

Glancing around, I saw scented candles that Rosalinne had lit before leaving were giving off a sweet fragrance here and there in the room.

A sweet aroma also came from the wine glasses Alexis had set out on the table.

Sensing my gaze, the Grand Duke brought a wine glass and held it out to me.

“Take a sip. It will help calm your startled nerves a bit.”

Just then, the door burst open and Captain Leo rushed in urgently.

“Your Highness! Your Highness! There’s something you must see!”

“Now?”

The Grand Duke frowned and gave some kind of signal to Captain Leo with his eyes.

‘If you have eyes, read the mood and get lost.’ Something like that, it seemed.

Captain Leo frowned even deeper than the Grand Duke and jerked his chin towards my room with a grimace.

It seemed to be an internal cry of ‘We found something incredible in the Duchess’s chambers, you as the husband must come see!’

But as the Grand Duke kept pretending not to understand and holding out, Leo sighed deeply and said,

“We found something strange on the assassin’s corpse.”

“What’s strange about it?”

What? What did they find? I didn’t find anything. What is it?

I asked Leo with the most nonchalant face I could muster.

“It’s not something the Duchess should know about.”

Instead of answering, Leo grimaced once more at the Grand Duke.

“Your. Highness. You’ll. Be. Shocked. When. You. See.”

I learned for the first time that Captain Leo had the mysterious talent of enunciating clearly while clenching his mouth and gritting his teeth.

“Can’t I see too, Frost? I want to see.”

In desperation, I clung to the Grand Duke’s arm.

“Won’t you be scared?”

Frost asked worriedly. I shook my head vigorously, saying no.

I have to see it too. I haven’t even come up with a plausible excuse for the situation with the dead assassin yet. If I miss an important clue and say something nonsensical, it will be irreversible.

I finally managed to cling tightly to the Grand Duke and follow him to my chambers, but…

I realized it was just as troublesome whether I saw it or not.

“Do you see this?”

Captain Leo pointed to the scar on the assassin’s chest where the knife had been pulled out.

The Grand Duke approached the assassin’s body, bent one knee to examine the scar, and his eyes widened. His head also tilted quite a bit.

‘Why? What’s strange about it?’

I stretched my neck out long and looked at the assassin’s scar over the Grand Duke’s shoulder. It looks cleanly dealt with. Why are their expressions like that?

“It’s the swordsmanship of the Imperial Knights.”

Frost said lowly as he traced the scar with his finger.

“Right? Imperial Knights swordsmanship. Since their first duty is to protect the Emperor, they inevitably use swords specialized for defense rather than offense.”

“Interesting. Though the trace of the blade entering is slightly irregular, it wasn’t deliberately hidden. The one who killed the assassin seems to have worked as a mercenary before joining the Imperial Knights.”

“Wow. You can even see that, Your Highness?”

Leo exclaimed in admiration, shaking his head.

‘Right. Grand Duke, how did you know even that?’

I was in the mercenary corps for just over a year. Though I had made a contract with the holy sword, at that time I struggled even to summon a fist-sized fireball. I needed training, and for a street child like me, the mercenary corps was the best option.

Fortunately, my skills improved quickly. When the mercenary corps commander noticed I was the owner of the Sword of Fire and started gossiping, the Emperor himself came looking for me, saying he would put me in the Imperial Knights.

After joining the Imperial Knights, I thought I had completely erased any traces of my mercenary days from my sword.

“It took me a long while of staring to even realize it was the swordsmanship used by the Imperial Knights.”

‘Leo. You’re amazing too. It’s not like there was a lot of slashing, just one strike to the chest. How did you figure that out?’

I shook my head and sighed behind the Grand Duke’s back.

“But Duchess. Who on earth killed the assassin?”

Leo turned to me and asked.

The inevitable has come.

Even Leo, who was guarding my chambers, didn’t know an assassin had entered my room.

That’s why the situation is even more incomprehensible.

They must be even more anxious because they can’t even guess who it was that slayed the assassin,

whose presence they didn’t even detect, with a single stroke and disappeared without a trace.

“Yuriella, answer me. Who saved you?”

“Well… Actually…”